A Change In The Weather

There is nothing quite like putting cob on a wall in the coolness of an early morning. What an experience!

The weather has changed. The heat has broken and optimal weather for cob building is near.

It rained a total of four inches at the building site. The walls were covered there was some minor leakage. Surprisingly the walls had no erosion.

The walls are getting higher so it is time to prepare for the installation of the door frame. The frame could be installed this week.

Lots of progress has been made due to the cooler weather. The walls are at least knee high or higher on the exterior side. In places the cob portion of the wall is 12 inches high. The one foot milestone has been achieved!

Ten half-days have been worked to reach this point. Some days have been more productive than others. There have been 61 batches of cob, or an average of 6 per day. It is expected that as the weather cools even more and my technique becomes more efficient it might be possible to add one foot per week. A week of half-days.

The walls are being kept covered to delay the drying of the top layer of cob so additional cob can be added to the top of the wall with a good bond. Apologies for the picture of the covered walls below, but it is the best available right now. Uncovering and recovering walls takes a lot of effort.

Looking west. Visible is the entry way and to the right of that the L-shaped cob bench alcove. A small kitchen will be in the lower right and a table and chairs in the lower left, near the south-facing windows.